Anime Review: Shinsekai yori

Hey there guys, Endblade here once again with a new series which I am trying out now. Being an anime fan (not a hardcore fan though) but watching seasonal anime; as well as catching up on older titles once in a while, I would like to give my two cents on anime which I have enjoyed. For now, I will be reviewing anime that are NOT in my top 10 lists, because those have a short write-up on the synopsis on those recommendations.

If you haven't already seen my anime recommendations, you can take a look at them here and here! Those links will take you to my top 10 recommendations for 2017!

Without further ado, let's dive into the anime that is: Shinsekai yori (From the New World)

Taken from MyAnimeList - poster for Shinsekai yori

Now, I know that this review comes about 4 years late, but I was only recently introduced to Shinsekai about a day ago by a good friend of mine (fellow NEET and anime-lover). What he told me I think perfectly sums up this anime: " The first three episodes are quite slow, but try to make it to the camp scene."

This review will be as spoiler-free as possible, as I know that some of you that are reading this post might not have watched Shinsekai, and the plot although seemingly slow-paced at first, builds momentum over time to become much better and more nuanced towards the end.

In this review, I will be listing down some of the pros and the cons of the anime, so that you as the reader can make an objective comparison based on my subjective opinion. Sounds unreliable, isn't it? But aren't all news outlets or online reviews like this anyway?

Pros	Cons
·        Riveting storyline and well-thought out plot	·        25 episodes; plot can feel slightly draggy at certain points
·        Subtle attempts to reconcile fantasy setting with real-world events and human behaviour	·        Initial 2-3 episodes of setting the stage and introducing the characters might feel slow paced to some
·        Stellar character development of main characters ·        One of the best conclusions to any anime	·        Use of time-skips may leave viewer slightly disoriented ·        Side characters do not feel as fleshed out, probably rushed attempts to fit the storyline

As you can see, this anime isn't perfect. No anime is. Nor is this anime in my opinion a cult classic or something worth rewatching. However, what Shinsekai does impeccably is tie in real world dilemmas and ethical concerns into the plotline without making it feel forced; unlike how a company would advertise its' brand on television.

It isn't 'in your face', but the subtlety and grace by which Kishi Yusuke, the author behind the manga of Shinsekai hints at is amazingly accurate, frighteningly so.

Shinsekai yori is a fantasy take on the future of humans: what happens when you have a minority of people wielding frightening powers of psychokinesis? While the basis of it isn't very scientifically sound, the analysis of the human condition in the case of Shinsekai 1000 years from the first psychokinesis users appearing in the year 2011 is unspoken horror.

Where humans and animals alike have evolved over the centuries to fit this new world order, we find our group of schoolkids which have this gift of 'Cantus' (what people in the future call psychic powers), they are drawn into the dark history of mankind's struggles to build a utopia which they are currently living in. The code of ethics and laws that safeguard this utopia is challenged and shaken to the core throughout the anime of Shinsekai, and protaganist Watanabe Saki is thrown into a struggle where the lines of good and evil are constantly blurred.

From left to right: Squealer (far left), Aonoma Shun, Itou Mamoru, Akizuki Maria, Asahina Satoru, Watanabe Saki and Kiromaru (far right)

The plot revolves mainly around Watanabe Saki, with her schoolmates and groupmates Shun, Maria, Mamoru and Satoru playing the supporting roles. The narrative follows her point of view and follows her story from age 10 to age 26. Such large periods of time are resolved using timeskips, which can be good to advance the plotline with more complicated ideas as the characters mature accordingly. However, the timeskip may feel very arbitary and the age compressing of such time to fit a narrative over 16 years does leave out certain points where characters mature into adults, which may remove some of the immersion into the world of Shinsekai.

While the main characters are largely well-developed, the side characters seem to be there to keep the plotline going or feel dispensable, like you could replace them with any other character and change their name and it would still work out to push the story to its' climax.

One remarkable point in Shinsekai would be the final 2 episodes, where the build-up from the first 23 episodes finally come to fruition and we see the plot resolve itself. While the ending is quite satisfying, it may feel rushed to some extent, given that the main bulk of the action happens in the middle of the anime and towards the end. The beginning and transition from middle to end of Shinsekai at times feels predictable and slightly slow and the cliffhangers between episodes don't leave you in suspense for the next episode.

However, having binge-watched Shinsekai, I can safely say that I really wanted to get to the final episode, not because the anime wasn't good but because I wanted to really see the plot weave itself together into a beautiful conclusion. The journey was slightly arduous but the end was largely worth it.

With that, I hope that you will give Shinsekai a fair chance, as I did! It grabbed my attention for the 25 episodes which and aired, and towards the end I felt a tinge of sadness knowing that it was about to end.

Final Rating: 7.75/10 

Until Next Time,

Endblade